Overcoming injury concerns, Asia's top-ranked player defeats "Serena Williams' stand-in"

(Tennis result) Elena Rybakina put concerns about her fitness to rest by beating Thea Frodin 6-3, 6-2. The 17-year-old had previously acted as Serena Williams' tennis body double in the Academy Award-winning movie "King Richard."

Elena Rybakina secured her place in the second round of the 2026 US Open after a relatively comfortable opening match on the Grandstand court. The second seed needed only two sets to overcome home favorite Thea Frodin.

This victory brought significant relief for Rybakina. A leg injury she sustained in Cincinnati had raised concerns that the Australian Open champion might miss the final Grand Slam of the year.

"I called the physiotherapist onto the court in Cincinnati. She said the Achilles tendon wasn't torn, which was a positive sign, but I still felt pain,"Rybakina revealed.

The Kazakh player then began an uncertain recovery process. She had to take a complete break from tennis for seven days and was also unable to perform many movement exercises in the gym.

"We didn't know if I could play here and just monitored the situation day by day. So getting a result like this just 10 days after the injury is really amazing,"Rybakina stated.

Questions about her fitness were not evident during the match. The two-time Grand Slam champion controlled the contest with powerful shots, breaking serve in the sixth game and winning the opening set 6-3.

Rybakina maintained her dominance in the second set. Frodin showed potential with 11 aces, but lacked the experience to trouble one of the top contenders for the title.

The 17-year-old received loud cheers as she saved three consecutive match points with aces in the penultimate game. However, Rybakina prevented any comeback and ended the match with a direct serve winner.

"She played very well and had quality shots. This was not an easy match. I'm just happy to be here and to play,"Rybakina commented on her younger opponent.

The match drew special attention because Frodin once worked as a tennis double for the character of the legendary Serena Williams as a young girl in the film "King Richard." Five years after that experience on the film set, she made her first appearance in the main draw of a Grand Slam tournament.

There was no Hollywood ending for Frodin, but her performance against Rybakina still earned applause from the crowd. The Kazakh player even paused her equipment packing to join the audience in applauding and encouraging her opponent.